my brakes start to lose braking power the more you depress the pedal. it feels alright at first (gentle braking) but bringing the car to a complete stop after the pedal depressed halfway mark needs 'substantial' effort (i.e. much more effort than other cars i've driven). i got my pads changed to ferodo (heard they are f***ked) 3 months ago but nothing's changed. if anything, it prob got worse cos now the brakes screech like hell when coming to a halt. went to speak to a mechanic and he told me the discs might need machining and advised me to change to bendix as well. quoted me $165 all in. any advice?

have you even had your brake's pressure bleed lateley ? and or after you put in the new brake pads ? you can get your car's brake system pressure bled with DOT 4 brake fluid for $35.

So rather then saying the brake pads are stuff how bout you find the problem and fix it, have you even run the brake pads in properly ?

Bleed your brakes.

Brake pads take time to wear in. Same with newly machined discs.

Give it a week.

Also whoever told you Ferodo is f*cked is f*cked because there's nothing wrong with them. They're great.

If their pads were so bad...why are they still in business!?

You should be asking these questions to the people that tell you stuff like that.

the dude who put on the pads for me didn't remind me to bed the new pads in. neither did he bleed the brakes for me. i only remembered like a couple of days later, which was too late i guess. but still, i did the whole bedding in procedure proper.

the pads change was 3 months ago, so there has been more than enough time for them to settle in and give their full potential. however, i still feel they aren't as strong as they should be.

i was told by a friend that you should bleed the brakes every time you change the pads. so i'm thinking maybe i should get them bled cos there could be air bubbles. still sceptical though....

the dude who put on the pads for me didn't remind me to bed the new pads in. neither did he bleed the brakes for me. i only remembered like a couple of days later, which was too late i guess.

He put the brake pad's in his not your mother :badgrin: and his not going to bled the brake's for free and his not going to do it unless you ask

He put the brake pad's in his not your mother :badgrin: and his not going to bled the brake's for free and his not going to do it unless you ask

i never said he should bleed the brakes for free. he should TELL me that it's standard procedure to bleed the brakes after putting in the pads and THEN it's up to me to decide whether to want to spend that money to bleed it. if you ever do business let me know where it is cos i certainly for one won't be visiting... prob won't last that long for anyone to know abt it though... :badgrin: cheers mate!

[quote:638eda5f11="Widowmaker"]
He put the brake pad's in his not your mother :badgrin: and his not going to bled the brake's for free and his not going to do it unless you ask

i never said he should bleed the brakes for free. he should TELL me that it's standard procedure to bleed the brakes after putting in the pads and THEN it's up to me to decide whether to want to spend that money to bleed it. if you ever do business let me know where it is cos i certainly for one won't be visiting... prob won't last that long for anyone to know abt it though... :badgrin: cheers mate![/quote:638eda5f11]

ITS NOT BLOODY standard its just somthing you should do if you wish for the best available performance , it doesnt get done all the time its upto you

Squishy pedal = air in brake line => bleed brakes.

Excessive pedal force required = low vacuum assist => check vacuum booster and associated hoses, OR low fluid => check reservoir and add as necessary.

SOP is every time you open the brake system you bleed them. Normally pad changes don't open the system up. If hydraulic pressure does not cause the piston in the caliper to move forward (ie wth pads off it moves out without you pushing the pedal) then air can (and probably will) enter the system => bleed 'em.

New pads should go on freshly machined discs as a general rule, it doesn't hurt to give the discs a quick skim to check for any warpage or grooves not readily visible. The pads should have bedded in within 2 - 3 weeks, the brakes will feel rough until they do.

Squealing can generally be put down to brake dust being clamped btw pad & disc => hit 'em with the air hose at the servo to blow it out.

maybe glazed discs?

when i push donw on my brake, it sounds like its releasing air,

is that what your meaning Raymond? should me gets mine bleeded>?

i got mine machined and new pads for 386, and they have been great ever since ;)

A squishy or spongy pedal feel means air in the lines usually. The other possibility for squishy pedal is rooted brake lines (the rubber flex bit). The inner core goes and the line expands under pressure instead of ducting the pressure to the brake piston.

MethoD you say it SOUNDS like it's releasing air? Might be worthwhile having a look under the car @ the brakes and checking whether they closed all the bleed nipples. Has the fluid in the reservoir gone down? Have a mate/gf/missus step on the pedal while you look at the back of the caliper - if fluid dribbles out then the bleed nipple is still open.

Has the pedal force increased? Because air leaks are usually vacuum from the booster or lines...

No other choice but to have a good look under the car. If you are worried take it to where you got the brakes done and ask 'em to have a look. 5 mins on a hoist shouldn't cost anything.

when i push donw on my brake, it sounds like its releasing air,

is that what your meaning Raymond? should me gets mine bleeded>?

i got mine machined and new pads for 386, and they have been great ever since ;)

This noise is most likely operation of the Vacuum brake booster that you can hear.
Alf77: The performance of your brakes could be put down to a different compound brake pad being used which can affect braking feel and operation